A boon for bears

Bear management will get a boost in the Smokies with $4,000 in Appalachian Trail license plate sales to go toward repairing damaged cables in the cable-and-pulley systems installed at each backcountry campsite and shelter in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The systems allow backpackers to hoist their food and packs out of reach of black bears, improving safety for both humans and animals.